CLEARWATER, Fla. — Not many relief pitchers have had a rookie season like Jeremy Horst enjoyed in 2012. Not many relief pitchers have a year like that in their entire career.

After spending most of the first half in Triple-A, Horst got called up from Lehigh Valley and was part of a Phillies bullpen that went from brutal before the All-Star break to very good after it. In 32 appearances, Horst was 2-0 with a minuscule 1.15 ERA, striking out 40 in 31 1/3 innings as he gained trust by aggressively going after hitters, regardless of from which side of the plate they hit.

“He’s really deceptive. They just don’t pick him up very well,” pitching coach Rich Dubee said of Horst. “He’s got a good package. He’s a great professional -- he goes about his business, does his work. He’s durable, he’s resilient, he can pitch back-to-back, in multiple innings. He was a big-time strike thrower for us last year.

“I think he surprised me. We put him in some different situations, and he handles him very well.”

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Clearly, the 27-year-old southpaw likes what he sees on the back of his playing card this year. And those numbers give him the inside track to being with the Phillies to open 2013. But he tries to take the same straightforward, no-nonsense approach to expectations that he did to opposing hitters last season. Opposing hitters batted a skinny .192 against him, but even more importantly they hit a woeful .136 (9-for-66) against him with less than two outs in an inning.

“He really attacks the zone,” catcher Erik Kratz said. “It’s a huge difference, especially for fielders. When a guy attacks a zone and throws a lot of strikes, you’re always thinking, ‘This ball could be put in play.’

“His numbers show that he’s definitely deceptive to lefties and to righties.”

Unlike most left-handed relievers these days, Horst has an over-the-top motion as opposed to a three-quarter delivery. It might play a role in the fact that his splits against left-handed (.170 batting average against) and right-handed hitters (.210) aren’t nearly as wide as most southpaw relievers.

“It definitely was a good season,” said Horst, acquired from the Reds last winter in the trade that sent infielder Wilson Valdez to Cincy, “but staying focused was the big thing I wanted to accomplish last year -- every day, every outing -- and I think the numbers reflected that.

“There’s a lot more that goes into it than just what’s on paper, because there are guys who have good numbers, and by their outings you’d say, ‘How did they get away with that?’ And then there are guys with terrible numbers where they don’t reflect the type of pitcher he is.”

There’s another left-hander on the roster who serves as a fine example of how circumstances can change your fortunes as a reliever. In 2011, Antonio Bastardo made a big splash during his first full big-league season, only to stumble badly when the Phils tried to use him as their exclusive set-up reliever in the first half of last season. This winter the Phillies signed right-hander set-up man Mike Adams to handle most of the eighth-inning duties and give the Phillies a chance to match up Bastardo in late-inning situations.

Similarly, the Phils brought back veteran Chad Durbin to provide some long-relief help from the right side as a complement to Horst.

I definitely try to keep my pitch count down,” Horst said. “I think being able to go out there for multiple innings is something I want to have under my name, and I want them to be comfortable running me out there for multiples.”

Although Dubee and Charlie Manuel both expressed belief that Horst wasn’t doing it with mirrors last season, he knows there are enough young arms in camp who got a taste of the big leagues last season to take this spring training lightly.

“If anything, last year showed Charlie and Dubee the type of player I am, that I’m going to go out there and compete, work hard, and do the best I can to put the team in a spot to win,” Horst said. “And that’s the main thing I wanted to see. I don’t think they expect me to put up the same numbers, but to put in the same effort and be focused. So that’s what I’m going to do this camp.”

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NOTES: The Phillies were supposed to have their first live batting practice — pitchers throwing to hitters, instead of the coaches — Sunday, but with temperatures in the 40s and a stiff northerly breeze adding to the chill, the coaching staff decided to back that plan up a day ... According to Dubee, Friday’s intrasquad scrimmage might be limited to five innings.